Ploughing 2026: first people in the gate and 'bucket-list' travellers

We greeted people coming in the gates this morning on day one of the Ploughing in Screggan, Co Offaly.

Some people didn’t have too far to travel coming from Portlaoise, while others left as early as 4am and 5am from Cork and Cavan. One visitor came from New York and others had it on their bucket list.

The gates were opened to the public at 8.30am, but the crowds were more than 100 metres deep at each entrance from as early as 7.30am.

Tune in below to hear from the people we spoke to and follow live updates in our Ploughing 2026 blog.